Television in Israel

Israel’s television system grew from a classroom service into a mixed public and commercial industry. Educational television began in March 1966, and the first general-interest network followed in May 1968.[1][2] The system later expanded through commercial broadcasting, cable, satellite services, and exported television formats, while public broadcasting was reorganized under Kan in 2017.[3][5]

Israel’s earliest domestic television service was educational. On March 24, 1966, an instructional mathematics program was transmitted to seventh- and ninth-grade pupils in 32 schools in central Israel. Programs covered mathematics, English, and biology and were designed to occupy approximately half a class period, leaving teachers time to complete the lesson.[1] A retrospective account describes 25-minute lessons, designated viewing rooms, and teacher training intended to integrate broadcasts into ordinary schoolwork.[6]

The project was known as Instructional Television or the Educational Television Trust. The Rothschild family financed the experiment and purchased television sets for participating schools.[6] Educational broadcasting offered a limited route into television at a time when officials feared that general entertainment could promote consumerism, foreign cultural influence, or an unattainable Western standard of living.[1][7]

General-interest television followed in 1968. The Center for Israel Education dates the inaugural broadcast to May 2, when the screen showed a menorah, an aerial view of Jerusalem, and the Independence Day parade.[2] A Globes retrospective uses May 6 and says the parade was effectively the service’s only broadcast that year, with regular schedules developing in 1969.[8] These accounts appear to distinguish the ceremonial launch from the emergence of regular service.

The Israel Broadcasting Authority had been created as an independent public body by the 1965 Broadcasting Authority Law, which was amended in 1968 to include television.[9] The authority was modeled on the BBC and operated through a self-governing board under general government supervision, although political influence was not entirely absent.[10] Communications scholar Elihu Katz led the founding effort, aided by advisers from CBS and staff drawn from radio and overseas television training.[8]

The general service was designed to broadcast in both Hebrew and Arabic. Its departments included Hebrew and Arabic news and current affairs, and the IBA sought to attract Arabic-speaking audiences who otherwise watched stations from neighboring countries.[2] One account says the founding team introduced broadcasts in both languages within eight months and viewed Arabic programming as part of television’s regional and civic mission.[11]

For much of its early history, Israel had one general television service. The IBA relied on a television-set licence fee, a levy on cars, public-service announcements, television underwriting, and radio advertising.[12] Educational Television and the IBA shared the country’s single channel from 1968 to 1986, reinforcing television’s role as a common national platform.[7]

The nightly news became a defining feature of the one-channel era. Haim Yavin presented the first edition of Mabat LaHadashot on July 23, 1968; it reported on the hijacking of an El Al aircraft to Algeria. Yavin remained closely identified with the broadcast until his final edition in 2008.[13] A 1987 survey found that 87 percent of the public watched television on an average weekday and approximately three quarters watched Mabat daily, figures that describe the historical period rather than current habits.[11]

Editorial independence was contested from the beginning. A Ynet history recounts that a governing committee sought to approve interviewees and cancelled an invitation to a port authority official who had been removed from its list. Newspapers accused the service of censorship, and the dispute damaged cooperation between Katz and the committee.[14] The Library of Congress country study likewise describes broad ordinary editorial discretion while acknowledging periods of political pressure.[10]

Television also became a focal point during major public events, including Egyptian President Anwar Sadat’s 1977 visit and the 1995 assassination of Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin.[7] Before the 1978 broadcast of the series “Holocaust,” the subject was debated in the Knesset, private screenings were held, and the Education Ministry prepared guidance for schools. A preliminary survey reported that 1.5 million of Israel’s 3.5 million residents watched the first installment; the final two installments were postponed when the Camp David accords were announced between the second and third segments.[15] Educational Television also produced original cultural programming, including “We Too Are Judges,” broadcast from 1974 into the late 1970s.[16]

Israeli television began in black and white, and policy delayed the transition to color. The IBA removed color from imported programs with a device known as a meḥikon, while some viewers used an “anti-meḥikon” to restore it.[7][17] Selected events—including Sadat’s 1977 visit, the 1979 Eurovision Song Contest in Jerusalem, and the 1982 World Cup—were shown in color before regular color news broadcasting.[17] After a 1978 decision in principle, Mabat aired its first regular color edition on February 16, 1983.[18]

Imported programming was often cheaper than local production. Before the 1980s, domestic output consisted largely of news and low-budget entertainment, including “Lul” (“Chicken Coop,” 1970–1972), while American series such as “Dallas” became highly popular.[7] The public schedule also included children’s programs, films, current affairs, studio discussions, and regular Arabic-language broadcasting.

The earlier Arabic-language media environment has been characterized differently by different sources. A Washington Institute article says Arabic-language media was state-sponsored for much of Israel’s history and quotes researcher Harel Chorev-Halewa recalling a single channel with an hour and a half of Arabic broadcasting chosen by the government.[19] This is the article’s account of the period, not a comprehensive description of every Arabic-language outlet.

Satellite television later connected Arab citizens of Israel more readily to pan-Arab cultural and political discussion. The same article reports that 41 percent of Arab-television viewers in the general population felt that viewing strengthened their belonging to the Arab world, compared with 73 percent among elite circles.[19] More broadly, Israeli broadcasting developed alongside a shift from state dominance toward privatization and a more multicultural media environment, while remaining subject to political and economic pressures.[20]

The legal framework for a second television channel was enacted in 1990. The Jewish Virtual Library dates regular Channel 2 service to November 11, 1993, while Mako dates Israel’s first commercial broadcasts to November 4.[9][21] The dates describe closely related launch milestones rather than different eras. Channel 2 initially operated through three franchisees—Keshet, Reshet, and Telad—and depended on advertising revenue.[21]

Commercial broadcasting introduced competition while remaining regulated. A 2005 U.S. Department of State report described the IBA as controlling Channel 1 and the Second Television and Radio Authority as supervising two privately owned commercial channels. It also reported that three cable and one satellite company carried international networks and domestically produced programming.[5] The authority barred advertisements for the Geneva Accords under rules against commercials addressing controversial issues.[5]

Cable greatly broadened viewing options. By mid-1994, infrastructure could reach about 90 percent of households, approximately 720,000 households could receive service, and average penetration was reported at 60 percent. Subscribers could choose from more than 40 additional channels in several languages.[11] By 2008, the Education Channel, IBA, commercial channels, and cable and satellite services were overseen through separate institutional arrangements.[22] A 2016 ownership study described cable television as dominated by HOT and broadcast television by Channels 2 and 10 and the public IBA, while finding that broadcast concentration had been declining.[23]

The expansion prompted debate over television’s civic role. Elihu Katz warned that many channels could weaken a shared national agenda, while others argued that competition reduced the danger of a single channel monopolizing public discussion. Critics also worried that advertising and commercial entertainment could erode television’s educational and social purposes.[11] Cable and other services nevertheless expanded options for audiences, including Russian-speaking and religious communities that had received limited attention from the principal channels.[7]

Television also became increasingly important as a news source. Two 1988 polls found that 42 percent of Jewish Israelis considered television news their best source of international news, up from 19 percent in 1986.[10] An INSS survey conducted in October 2021 found television most influential among the Jewish population and social media most influential among the Arab population.[24] Channel 2’s growth was also visible in advertising: Mako cited 1,381 advertisements in 1994 and 4,005 in 2011.[21]

The Public Broadcasting Corporation Law approved in 2014 provided for closing the IBA and Educational Television and establishing a new public broadcaster with Hebrew, Arabic, and children’s television services. It also eliminated the television licence fee and directed funding through government arrangements tied largely to the vehicle levy.[12][25]

The Israel Public Broadcasting Corporation, branded Kan, began operating in mid-May 2017. Its launch followed a dispute between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Finance Minister Moshe Kahlon over the transition, while proposals concerning a separately structured news department raised concerns about public broadcasting’s viability and possible political influence over news content.[3]

The commercial system changed later that year. At midnight on November 1, Keshet and Reshet moved from the shared Channel 2 schedule to full-week Channels 12 and 13; Kan continued on Channel 11, and Channel 10 moved to Channel 14. The reform was intended to increase competition.[26] A legal study characterizes the replacement of the IBA and abolition of the earlier “dual broadcasting model” as a break with Israel’s previous media-policy structure.[27] Educational Television’s separate operations ended in 2018, concluding a service that had run from 1966 to 2018.[16]

Israeli television’s international profile grew with the expansion of locally created programming. “BeTipul,” which premiered in 2005, was adapted by HBO as “In Treatment” in 2008 and won two Emmy Awards and a Golden Globe. Showtime’s “Homeland” was based on the Israeli series “Hatufim,” while “Fauda” reached international audiences after Netflix began streaming it in 2016.[1]

The industry has both imported and exported formats. Israeli productions based on foreign formats have included “A Star Is Born,” “Big Brother,” and “Survivor,” while “In Treatment” became a prominent exported Israeli format.[28] This exchange reflected the increased place of local drama and entertainment in prime-time schedules across broadcast, cable, and satellite television.[28]

Television in Israel developed from a restricted educational and public service into a system combining public, commercial, cable, and satellite broadcasting. The original one-channel structure fostered a shared national viewing experience, while later competition widened audience choice and encouraged the expansion of domestic production.[1][11]

The chronology is best understood through distinct milestones. Educational television began in March 1966; general-interest television was inaugurated in May 1968; regular schedules expanded in 1969; commercial broadcasting arrived in November 1993; and regular color news began in February 1983.[1][8][18][21] Distinguishing ceremonial launches, experimental transmissions, and regular services avoids treating every date difference as a direct contradiction.

Television’s significance has never been solely technological. It has served as a platform for Hebrew- and Arabic-language programming, public information, cultural policy, national events, commercial entertainment, and internationally successful creative work. Debate continues over how to balance a common civic platform with a plural and competitive media system.[11][20]

Questions of political influence and editorial independence arose during television’s formative years. The early dispute over committee approval of interviewees produced public allegations of censorship and contributed to the breakdown of cooperation between the founding team and the IBA’s governing committee.[14] Later accounts describe the IBA as formally autonomous and BBC-inspired, but not entirely insulated from government influence.[10][20]

Security reporting presents another recurring issue. An account of Israel’s media system says broadcast material is subject to military censorship, while an agreement among the government, military, and media limits the categories routinely submitted for clearance.[20] The arrangement reflects a continuing tension between rapid reporting, editorial independence, and the protection of operational information.

After a wave of suicide bombings in 1997, the International Institute for Counter-Terrorism convened Israeli media editors to discuss coverage. Proposed voluntary guidelines included avoiding close-ups of dead or wounded people and scenes of extreme panic. The editors rejected the recommendations as interference with their professional work; Boaz Ganor’s assertion that ratings were their real concern was his interpretation.[4]

The debate resurfaced during the spring 2022 terrorist attacks. During the search for the Dizengoff Street attacker, reporters competed for airtime and broadcast disturbing scenes live. In an April 8 joint letter, the IDF, Israel Police, and Shin Bet accused some channels of turning the pursuit into “actual reality TV.” Channel 12 responded the following day that it had reviewed the coverage, acknowledged mistakes, and would learn from them.[4] The episode illustrates the unresolved challenge of informing viewers quickly without sensationalizing violence, exposing operational details, or intensifying public fear.